Empire Center

A 35-year-old woman was injured Monday after a car ran over her left foot while she was crossing the Empire Center parking lot, police said. At around 10:45 a.m., the woman was crossing in the 1900 block of Empire Avenue at the parking lot near Tilly's when a driver rolled over her left foot at 10 mph, said Burbank Police Lt. Eddie Ruiz. The woman, who was using a marked crosswalk, was transported to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center for treatment. Additional details on her injuries were not immediately available.

As millions of Americans watched elections returns in angst Tuesday night, hundreds of people in Burbank had better things to do - a car enthusiast flash mob anyone? Shortly after 7 p.m., car enthusiasts overtook the expansive Empire Center parking lot, prompting Burbank police to request assistance from Los Angeles, Glendale and the California Highway Patrol as they attempted to disperse a crowd estimated at one point to be more than 1,000 people. It took police until nearly midnight to clear the parking lot - process that clogged surrounding streets as the massive crowd moved out. No injuries were immediately reported, but several drivers were cited and at least one motorcycle was impounded.

A 24-year-old Best Buy employee was arrested Wednesday after allegedly stealing $1,100 from the Empire Center store through fraudulent returns, police said. Since July, the Arleta woman - identified as Diana Tran - reportedly made nine fraudulent returns and made off with $1,100, said Burbank Police Sgt. Darin Ryburn. Tran was arrested on suspicion of grand theft. She was released from custody after posting $20,000 bail and is due in court next month. -- Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com Follow on Google+ and on Twitter: @atchek . ALSO: Burb's Eye View: A wedding is hitched to a high school reunion Win-win sale for Moms Club: Garage sale to boost charity goals Experts analyze Burbank Walmart freeze

One lane of the northbound Victory Place and San Fernando Road will be closed through this fall as crews relocate utilities as part of a major project to construct carpool lanes on the Golden State (5) Freeway, build a new interchange at Empire Avenue and elevate a dangerous train crossing. The section of the streets that will be impacted stretches from the Burbank Animal Shelter to North California Street, according to the California Department of Transportation. The lane adjacent to the railroad tracks will be closed from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, Caltrans officials said.

By Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com and By Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com | August 13, 2013

A loud but peaceful crowd flooded the Empire Center parking lot with vehicles Tuesday night for the impromptu " Krispy Kreme " meet, drawing more than 3,000 people and roughly 1,000 cars. "I've seen families out here with their kids looking at the cars," Burbank Police Sgt. Darin Ryburn said at 8:30 p.m. No arrests had been reported and crowds were expected to thin out, he added. PHOTOS: Youth car enthusiasts converge on Burbank's Empire Center Earlier in the evening, police closed the parking lot to cars, shut down surrounding streets due to traffic congestion and warned motorists to avoid the area.

The popular complex is sold for a reported $160 million to investment arm of an Iowa insurance company.MEDIA DISTRICT NORTH -- New owners have taken over the popular Empire Center shopping and restaurant complex. Iowa-based Principal Life Insurance Co. purchased the shopping area this month for $160 million. City Council members and other city officials received a letter from Principal last week to inform them of the purchase. "That's a good sign that they want to maintain a relationship," Councilwoman Marsha Ramos said.

Laura Sturza HILLSIDE DISTRICT -- Coming soon to the Empire Center: three new sculptures commissioned from Echo Park artist Peter Shire. The sculptures are constructed from mixed media elements, including metal and glass and are being fabricated now, said Eric Hansen, an administrator for art in public places for the city of Burbank. The three sculptures, Tiki Tower, Empire Man and Leaning Tower to be installed by Zelman Development, are large-scale, whimsical pieces that will be colorful and integrated into the landscape and street scape, Hansen said.

Laura Sturza MEDIA DISTRICT NORTH -- While the Empire Center can be reached by bus, the best way to get around the 100-acre retail mecca is by car, officials said. "Where people go to do large-scale shopping ... they don't want to carry packages from one store to the next," Empire Center developer Ben Reiling said. A Leader letter to the editor Feb. 27 from Ronald D. Summons said there "are no convenient MTA bus stops within this shopping center" and it appears "that the citizens who use MTA buses were purposely ignored in the planning" of the center.

Paul Clinton CIVIC CENTER -- Plans to include an auto dealership in the Burbank Empire Center development have collapsed, leaving city officials frustrated by the latest failure to bring car-and-truck sales to Burbank. Empire Center developer Zelman Development Companies continues to negotiate with CAG Investments to bring a Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep dealership to the $200-million retail center, city officials said. But the prospects of securing the deal look bleak.

Opponents of a planned Walmart in Burbank drew upon the strength of unions Tuesday night to give the noisiest local protest yet to the mega-retailer. More than 100 people, bolstered by the organized support of labor unions, swarmed outside Burbank City Hall before the City Council meeting, using a loudspeaker to sound off on the idea of a Walmart next to the Empire Center. In a show of how the labor movement has latched on to the cause, about 30 members of Warehouse Workers United - which advocates for better working conditions in Inland Empire distribution centers - marched down Olive Avenue to the beat of a snare drum to join the protest.

When San Fernando Boulevard underneath the Golden State (5) Freeway overpass closes next month, it will be closed forever, forcing Burbank neighborhoods to cope with an undeniable increase in traffic for at least two years. Yet many neighbors and businesses in the area still don't know that stretch of road is about to be wiped off the map. Through the city's website, through emails, through community meetings and with recently installed signs, the news of the San Fernando Boulevard closure has been no secret, per se. There are many maps, presentations and FAQ sheets on the official project website, i-5info.com/magnolia-boulevard-to-buena-vista-street . But this week I talked to several neighbors and commuters who either didn't know the closure was happening so soon, or they didn't know where all that traffic is about to go. On the official I-5 info site is a very detailed map of the detour route.

Re: “ Is Walmart what we want in a business ,” Mailbag, Dec. 25. Walmart is not in business to improve your wages, they are not in business to give you healthcare, vacations, pensions, sick days and support unions. They are in business to make a profit. Secondly, they are in business to fill a need. A need that apparently most Burbank residents would like fulfilled. According to the letters in this paper, the majority of people in this city want a Walmart in the Empire Center.

The New Year brings a time of reflection and hope. The Media City has plenty to look forward to in 2014, though the calendar seems packed with development. The airport is planning to open its transportation center, two hotels are slated to break ground, and work on the new IKEA property is likely to begin later in the year. And, of course, Walmart foes are lauding the stalled development of the store in the Empire Center. In other areas, Burbank is bracing for the loss of the “Tonight Show,” Burbank educators are getting ready for Common Core, and the school libraries will be staffed - by district employees.

On Tuesday, the Burbank City Council will vote on whether to appeal a court ruling that rescinded Walmart's building permits and prohibits the city from allowing Walmart to move into the former Great Indoors store at the Empire Center until a number of issues are addressed. The judge's ruling came down to this: The City Council and its staff failed in their duty to protect the interests of the public. This is the essence of why the city should not appeal; it would just be another mistake in a string of doozies.

A tentative ruling that halted Walmart's plans - at least temporarily - for a store near the Empire Center was finalized Friday. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Allan J. Goodman's final judgment confirms that Burbank officials must rescind building permits issued to Walmart to open a store adjacent to the Empire Center, and set aside the California Environmental Quality Act exemption made for the project in 2012. The lawsuit was filed by three Burbank residents - Shanna Ingalsbee, Katherine Olson and Yvette Ziraldo - in an effort to block the opening of the store until street improvements outlined in an ordinance approved by the Burbank City Council a dozen years ago are completed and another environmental impact review is conducted.

The Orchard Supply Hardware store in Burbank is clearing things out before closing down, with the hardware store slashing prices in a final clearance sale. The OSH, located on Victory Boulevard, is one of 17 in the state being closed in the wake of the San Jose-based chain's entrance into Chapter 11 bankruptcy this summer and its subsequent acquisition by competitor Lowe's Companies Inc. Until it closes, all merchandise in the store is being sold at 25% to 70% off. Leigh Parrish, an OSH spokeswoman, said because stores will close based on how quickly clearance merchandise sells, the company couldn't set official closing dates.

Lemonade, a popular cafeteria-style restaurant with 13 locations in Southern California, is slated to open in Burbank's media district after the Planning Board approved its proposal Tuesday despite some concerns about inadequate parking from some local residents. The restaurant will take over part of a building located at 4400 Riverside Drive, currently occupied by beauty-supply store Cinema Secrets. Property owner Jeff Fischer billed the project as a way to revive the struggling existing store, which likely wouldn't have been able to afford a rent increase that would have come with continuing to occupy the whole property on its own. The project was approved in a 3-1 vote, with board member Christopher Rizzotti being the sole dissenter.

Abandon all diet plans, ye who enter here. Thursday be International Talk Like a Pirate Day, mateys, and Krispy Kreme celebrated by giving a free doughnut to landlubbers ordering in pirate-speak, or a treasure trove of a dozen glazed to those sporting full pirate garb. PHOTOS: Talking like a pirate at Krispy Kreme in Burbank Sea dogs young and old flocked to Krispy Kreme Burbank on Victory Place donning eye patches, tricorn hats, bandannas, hoop earrings, hooks and even toy parrots.

A 24-year-old Best Buy employee was arrested Wednesday after allegedly stealing $1,100 from the Empire Center store through fraudulent returns, police said. Since July, the Arleta woman - identified as Diana Tran - reportedly made nine fraudulent returns and made off with $1,100, said Burbank Police Sgt. Darin Ryburn. Tran was arrested on suspicion of grand theft. She was released from custody after posting $20,000 bail and is due in court next month. -- Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com Follow on Google+ and on Twitter: @atchek . ALSO: Burb's Eye View: A wedding is hitched to a high school reunion Win-win sale for Moms Club: Garage sale to boost charity goals Experts analyze Burbank Walmart freeze

The recent court ruling that put a freeze on efforts to bring a Walmart to town until Burbank officials solve traffic issues around the Empire Center is unlikely to cause problems for other nearby businesses. Jonathan Zasloff, a professor of law at UCLA and an expert in land use and environmental law, said the ruling, brought under the California Environmental Quality Act, wouldn't apply retroactively to already operational businesses. Though still classified as a tentative ruling, both city officials and plaintiffs say this is a formality and the final decision, set to handed down in the coming weeks, is not expected to change. “As far as I know, there isn't a provision of CEQA that mandates if mitigation isn't done, the city has to pull [permits]